Brian Hurlbut - Insiders Guide® to Yellowstone & Grand Teton

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INSIDERS GUIDE

Copyright 2011 Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

Insiders Guide is a registered trademark of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Editor: Kevin Sirois

Project Editor: Lynn Zelem

Layout Artist: Kevin Mak

Text Design: Sheryl Kober

Maps: XNR Productions, Inc. Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ISSN 1539-6584

ISBN 978-0-7627-6477-8

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Brian Hurlbut is a journalist and freelance writer living in Big Sky. He began hiking around the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York as a young boy, but the lure of the high peaks was eventually too much. In 1993, a year after graduating from the State University of New York at Buffalo, he packed his belongings into a microscopic Nissan Sentra and headed west. He landed in Missoula, where he continued his graduate studies in journalism at the University of Montana and began to explore the states vast physical and cultural geography. Since then he has hiked in most of Montanas mountain ranges and visited many of the regions small towns, immersing himself in everything the Treasure State has to offer. Brian spends most of his free time in the outdoors and is particularly interested in backpacking, traveling, backcountry snowboarding, and history. His work can be seen regularly in publications around the region, and he is often on stage as a drummer in a local rock-and-roll band. He lives in Big Sky with his wife and two children.

Writing a book is a challenging and time-consuming task, one that cannot be possible without the help of many individuals and organizations. Writing and updating this Insiders Guide has been a tremendous experience for me, one that I certainly will never forget. I owe my gratitude to many.

First and foremost, I would like to thank my first editor, Erika Serviss, for giving me the opportunity to be an insider, and all of the subsequent editors I have worked with. My first coauthor and friend, Seabring Davis, was a tremendous help, taking the time out of her busy day for brainstorming sessionsusually involving large amounts of coffee. I need to thank my wife, Lindsie, for being a fun and supportive travel companion. The various chambers of commerce used in this book were extremely helpful. An extra special thanks goes out to Donnie Sexton at Travel Montana and Dax Schieffer at Big Sky Resort. My parents, of course, were extremely supportive of this opportunity and were a big help in many ways. I would also like to thank my sister, Diane, whose various excursions with her family in the outdoors continue to motivate me to get out there and writeand to try to keep up with her.

Lastly, I would like to add that I am extremely grateful to be able to live in such a beautiful place. The Yellowstone region is like no place on earth, full of friendly people and incredible scenerya place Im proud to call home. Writing this book served as a reminder of just how lucky I am.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Whether this is your first or 40th trip to the Greater Yellowstone region, this book is designed for you. If its your first time, I hope that youll discover many of the places described in here, from Yellowstones hidden haunts to an out-of-the-way restaurant that serves up the best burger youve ever had. And for those travel veterans, I hope youll find something that youve overlooked before, a new discovery that will make this trip even more memorable.

Each year, I log thousands of miles driving throughout the region. From winter snowboarding trips to Red Lodge and Cody to fall canoe excursions in Grand Teton National Park, Im constantly searching for that next inclusion for the bookand checking other establishments to make sure they are still up to par. Its a rough job, I know, but its all in the name of accuracy... and a good road trip.

The book is set up for easy trip planning and navigation. After a brief overview of the geographic area, the Getting Here, Getting Around chapter will highlight all of the transportation options. The History and Our Natural World chapters will make you a roadside expert as you drive around, giving you an idea of how this part of the world was formed, settled, and developed.

Much of the book is written around the individual gateway towns encircled by the two national parks. Depending on where you start and end your journey, youll most likely visit several of the nine towns listed in the book. Each chapter will give you a general overview of the towns history, culture, and feel, and list specific recommendations on lodging, eating, camping, and shopping.

Yellowstone and Grand Teton are also treated as towns in their individual chaptersthat is, if you are looking for lodging, dining, and information about the parks, read these chapters. If youre looking for scenic hiking trails or the best fishing streams, that information will be in a different chapter with the corresponding subject heading. So, if you want information about cross-country skiing in Yellowstone, check the Winter Sports chapter, if you want to know where the best whitewater rafting is around Jackson, check the Fishing & Water Sports chapter.

Likewise, the Attractions chapter includes Yellowstone and Grand Tetonspecifically the features that I think travelers should seeas well other highlights from around the region. Some of these will be things most people will have heard of, but others are identified for those who want to get off the beaten path and explore the area a little bit.